Ionospheric Heating Rates Associated with Solar Wind Forcing: Ejecta flow, High Speed Flow and Slow Flow

We present estimates of global ionospheric Joule and particle heating as a function of solar wind flow types over solar cycles 21, 22 and the first half of solar cycle 23. Richardson et al., [JGR, 2000] used a variety of techniques to categorize the solar wind flow as ejecta, high-speed stream or slow flow. Their work provides the basis for our catigorization of heating by flow type. The estimates of Joule heating are based on output of the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure, and fits to the Polar Cap Index [Chun et al., GRL, 1999]. Estimates of particle heating are derived from polar orbiting satellites. Although ejecta only account for 19% of the solar wind flow, they account for 27% of the Joule heating. High-speed stream flow accounts for 47% of the flow occurrence and 44% of the Joule heating. We will show similar comparisons for particle heating. Our solar cycle statistics indicate that Joule heating produces a yearly average hemispheric heating rate of 53 GW while particles produce a hemispheric heating rate of 38 GW. Joule heating exhibits more variability than particle heating. During solar cycle maximum years Joule heating accounts for twice the heating associated with particles heating.